This crust is the perfect balance of light and soft without being too much and a perfectly crisp bottom crust!
I must confess something to you. I think I may have a slight obsession with sourdough! I love knowing that anything that I make with it, so long as it has the proper fermentation period is packing is health benefits even if it is PIZZA! Like, seriously, you can’t go wrong! Also, being able to plan ahead, let this stuff take its time while I do all the mom stuff, then put in the refrigerator and come back to beautiful dough? It’s definitely a no-brainer, I am in love.
This crust is definitely a plan-ahead meal. You will need to begin at least one day in advance, but don’t worry, if you make it and the day doesn’t go as planned, the dough is good in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (72hrs), so you can move pizza night to the next day, and the crust is already ready, and the dough is going to be even better :).
You will see in my pictures below that I used my cast iron skillet upside down! I have never ever made it like this before, and I don’t think I will ever go back! The crust was just perfect, I think I just need one that’s a little bigger (*hint, hint hubby LOL*)!
If you haven’t made a sourdough starter yet, you can check out my Journal of a Sourdough Starter and make your own, it is seriously so easy! If you have one, you will have wanted to have fed it within the last 12 hours to ensure it is active.
You will also need a kitchen scale. If you do not own one, don’t worry yourself tooooo much about it, I baked for years without one, and I have translated the metric measurements to volume for you. However if you find that you love working with bread and home baking, I do highly recommend a scale, because volume measurements are not always accurate, depending on how settled your ingredients are. I used to think of them as a pain, but I have come to love mine. It has become indispensable, and it equals a few less dishes by measuring everything into one or two bowls! I have THIS scale, and I have found it to be pretty good. It does not measure smaller than whole grams, but at this point in my kitchen, this gets the job done!
This dough recipe is taken from jernejkitchen.com.
You are going to start out by mixing together the flour, water and oil until they are thoroughly combined, then cover the bowl with a cloth and let it set for 30 minutes.
When the 30 minutes has passed, add in the active sourdough starter and salt and knead for 15 minutes on the lowest speed on your mixer. (You can also knead by hand if you like, as well!)
When dough is done being kneaded, form into a ball and place in a bowl. Cover with a towel and let sit at room temperature for 5 hours. After 5 hours has passed, divide dough equally (250g each, if you have a scale), then place in a dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.
When it is time to make your pizza, preheat your oven as hot as it will go (I only heated mine to 500°F because I was using cast iron and the brand I have is not recommended to go higher. I did not sacrifice taste, but my crust edge was not very brown!)
Working one section at a time, roll into a ball. Then, on a a gently floured surface, gently stretch to desired size, transfer to parchment paper lined cookie sheet, pizza stone or cast iron pan (if using cast iron, preheat with oven). Finish pizza dough with desired toppings and bake 5-8 minutes.
Sourdough Pizza Crust (Yield:4 – 12″ pizzas)
- 3 1/2 Cups (500g) AP Flour
- 1 1/4 Cups (300g) Water
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3/4 Cup (200g) Sourdough Starter (If measuring by cups, stir down beforehand)
- 2 Tsp (10g) Sea Salt
Day One
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, water, and oil and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover bowl with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
Add in starter and salt and knead with the dough hook on the lowest number speed (not stir) for 15 minutes (or alternatively knead by hand for approx 15 minutes). Form into a ball and place in large bowl. Cover with a towel and let sit at room temperature for 5 hours.
Divide dough equally into four parts (250g each) and shape into a ball. Place on a tray or in container, cover and chill in refrigerator for 12-72 hours.
Day Two
Preheat oven to its hottest temperature.
Working one piece of dough at a time, on a lightly floured surface, stretch dough into a pizza shape.
Transfer to a parchment-paper lined tray, pizza stone or cast iron pan (if using cast iron, preheat with oven), finish with favorite toppings and bake 5-8 minutes.
Enjoy!!!
Finding the perfect pizza dough has been an adventure for our family! We have a favorite quick dough if you are in a hurry. You can check that out HERE, but so long as I can, I believe this is going to be our go-to crust recipe from now on. It received several stamps of approval from my dear hubby, and pizza is always a winner with little ones. I hope that it may perhaps become a favorite of yours as well!
Thank you so much for stopping by! You seriously make my day, and I am thrilled to share what I love with you! I hope you enjoyed your visit and come again soon!
<3/Jenn
impassionedkitchen 